Women have been linked to lack of agency in making decisions on mobility; however, young highly-skilled women do take initiative impelled by the dynamics of the global market and the institutional culture of career progression. The aim of this paper is to explore the agency of women (individual motivation goal-oriented) and the influences of structural forces (labour market dynamics, patriarchal contexts and family commitments) that may motivate women's mobility. The study uses the life stories of 34 women from Spain who move within the EU and third country nationals who come to the EU. We consider how they make decisions along their life course, turning points in their lives and consequences of their choices. The results reveal that their decisions are closely linked to not only social circumstances, such as job opportunities and family, but also the agency of women depending on their age, feeling of fulfilment and ideas about emancipation.

Geographical mobility among professionals is a vital aspect of the knowledge society, and one which has to be carefully managed by the institutions, governments, enterprises and individuals involved.Mobility facilitates knowledge transfer and the exchange of ideas and innovation between countries and organisations. It also affects people´s labour market engagement patterns, career pathways, and work-life experiences, including their family relationships and caring work.The conference on “Challenges of the International Mobility of the Highly Skilled in the XXI Century - Women in Movement” addresses the development of mobile careers and their implications for institutions, organisations and individuals.This will be held the 7th and 8th of February 2013 in Barcelona.The conference will focus on the following topics:- Statistical data on mobility patterns and professional profiles- Gender differences in mobility patterns- Effects on gender agency- Family support in the mobility process- Management of national identities- Knowledge and innovation transfer- Networks of the diaspora- Mobility of dual-career couplesThe conference will be led by Dr. Ana M. González Ramos, senior researcher in the Gender and ICT Research Programme in the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, who will use a life course approach to explore the gender dynamics of mobility skilled professionals, their families and scientific institutions.